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A wide choice of topics covered from the dawn of history right up to present days . Many of these have a wider relevance than purely within the context of Strathearn . The author's viewpoint often is at variance with the accepted opinions espoused elsewhere eg The Jacobite Uprisings and The Reformation .

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AGRICOLA AND STRATHEARN By the time Agricola had reached the Forth - Clyde isthmus, he had completed three seasons of operations in Britain and as a result Roman occupied territory had been advanced all the way from North Wales. The permanence of the Roman Walls came after this. Hadrian’s Wall was not started until 122 AD whilst Antonines was later at 142 AD. Agricola based his frontier on marching forts and camps. Agricola’s initial Governorship should have been for a three year period . In fact it extended to six years much of which was spent campaigning in the north beyond the Forth /Clyde isthmus. After he defeated Calgacus at Mons Graupius ( see below ) , he set about establishing his defences. It was however his successor built the forts north of the Forth. There are two main groups of forts north of the Forth. The outer line hugs the edge of the Highlands, the forts usually being placed within the very mouths of the glens. The forts stretch north -east from Drumquhassle at the…

The following was published in
Porteous’“History of Crieff ” and gives
a contemporary account of the growth of the McEwan business .

Towards
the end of the eighteenth century a small company carried a woollen manufactory
at Dallerie which came into the hands of John McQueen but he was unsuccessful.
At the beginning of the last century, Mr James McEwan when a boy, came to
Crieff with his father, who engaged in woollen manufactures. On his father's death
Mr McEwan entered into partnership with Mr William Hamilton and they started a
woollen manufactory in a building at the foot of James Square on the east side
of King Street . This building was then known as “The Warehouse “but in after
years it attained the unenviable sobriquet of “Mount Rascal “.Messrs McEwen and Hamilton carried on the
business with much success for several years, but at last they dissolved
partnership. Mr McEwan took over the company's premises at Dallerie, w…

Fully a mile south of the old kirk
of Monzievaird lies Trowin or Trewin . Today it is dominated by Baird’s
monument sitting atop Tom a Chastille or Castle Hill . Once it was the site of
the castle of Earn . In by gone times it was at the north east edge of the Glen
Artney deer forest. From its summit
beacon fires would proclaim the Earl’s rule over the whole of Strathearn . In
1329 John de Warrens , Earl of Surrey and his wife Joanna , Countess of Strathearn
were condemned to imprisonment for life in the castle for complicity with
various other lords against King Robert Bruce .. The judgement was given by the
Parliament at Scone . Tradition states that castle was burned down in the later
part of the 14th century and some noble ladies confined therein were
consumed by the flames . About 1790 most of the old stones of the castle were
removed to be used as building material for the farm dykes and other
enclosures. When excavations were being carried out for the erection o…

Democracy Arrives !Having taught genealogy or family history for more than fifteen years to further education students here in Strathearn, I have been aware of the importance of providing adequate research sources for those attempting to find that direct route back to Adam ! The 1832 Voters Roll was something quite unique aand is not generally available on the internet genealogy web sites . Why was it so important ? The Scottish Reform Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide ranging changes to the election laws of Scotland. the Act was passed at approximately the same time as theReform Act 1832 which applied only to Wales and England .Before the Act six small Counties elected an MP Only in alternate Parliaments .The Act changed things . Kinross and Clackmannanshire became a single constituency . Edinburgh and Glasgow had two MPs whilst Aberdeen , Dundee, Greenock, Paisley and Perth had one each . The effect of the reform Act was considerable . 5 000 adult male…

Retired part time lecturer at Perth College and former rugby correspondent to our local paper the Strathearn Herald .Former President and a Honorary Member of Crieff & Strathearn Rugby Club. Written 4 books on the local history of Strathearn .